Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan
Confidence Classic: Tackle Life’s Biggest Challenges with Eric Wood, Former NFL Player
04 Feb 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What challenges do we face when our identity is taken away?
During times of challenge, it can be very difficult. And there's people that are listening that are going through unimaginable circumstances right now. At some point in those circumstances, you have to be thinking to yourself, what can I learn through this experience? Because ultimately, I'm going to come out of this stronger. Your ultimate test will become your testimony.
The universe is showing you something through these challenges. And the quicker that you can gain some perspective through that, the easier it's going to be to transition into that next chapter of your life.
Come on this journey with me. Each week when you join me, we are going to chase down our goals, overcome adversity and set you up for a better tomorrow.
I'm ready for my close up.
Tell me, have you been enjoying these new bonus confidence classics episodes we've been dropping on you every week? We've literally hundreds of episodes for you to listen to. So these bonuses are a great way to help you find the ones you may have already missed. I hope you love this one as much as I do. Hi, and welcome back. I'm so excited for you to meet my guest today.
Eric Wood is a former center for the Buffalo Bills and nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award two years in a row in 15 and 16. Eric played for nine years with the Bills until a dangerous neck injury forced him to withdraw from professional football
In 2018, Eric has since approached his post-football career transition with enthusiasm, bringing his wisdom of years of experience on the field to broadcast media and public speaking. He currently engages with fans as a color commentator for the Buffalo Bills radio network.
For an up-close and personal perspective into his career transition, Eric hosts a podcast, What's Next with Eric Wood, with a new guest interview every episode. Eric's new book, Tackle What's Next, Own Your Story, Stack Your Wins, and Achieve Your Goals in Business and Life is out now. Eric, thank you so much for being here today.
Yeah, it's an honor to be on. I'm a big fan of your show, so I'm excited about this one.
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Chapter 2: How did Eric Wood transition from NFL player to broadcaster?
And how were you able to get yourself to that next level so quickly?
Yeah, so I came into the University of Louisville with one goal, and that was to make it so that the University of Louisville had a great return on their investment. I only had one scholarship offer, so there was no other options. It wasn't, hey, can I transfer over here? I wanted to make the most of my opportunity.
If you look over this shoulder, I have my University of Louisville Hall of Fame plaque behind me because that means a lot to me. That's a sign to me personally that I gave Louisville the return on their investment they were looking for. And that meant a lot to me.
And really, when I looked back in writing my book that you referenced, as I looked back on any success I had in life, there was never an overnight success. It was constant grind, constant stacking wins in my life, whatever that may look like. In college, it might be a great workout. It might be one good game. It might be one good practice. stacked over and over.
And then eventually you hit this hockey stick effect in your life where, oh, shoot, now I'm an All-American. Now I become a first round draft pick. And none of that happens overnight. And there's plenty of bumps and bruises and downfalls along the way. But ultimately, when you continue to stack wins in your life, it's going to show up in a big way, some way or another.
And for me, a dream come true of being a first round draft pick into the NFL.
were you that person that was saying to yourself years before that happened? I know this is going to happen. I know I'm going to make it. Or were you that person that was surprised by it happening?
I'll say a little bit of both. So my freshman year, I made the freshman All-American team. And I used to joke with my high school buddies that, man, I got this one scholarship offer. If I can come back to my hometown of Cincinnati and make their practice squad, I can make $90,000 a year. And I can get a job in the offseason because I didn't know anything about pro football.
So I can get a job in the offseason. I can make over $100,000. And so that's the mindset I went in with. But often when you look at people's stories, there's someone or something that gives them confidence to say, hey, now I belong. Now I can go to new levels. For me, when I made the freshman All-American team, I got this letter in the mail and it congratulated you.
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Chapter 3: What lessons did Eric learn from his career-ending injury?
My helmet goes flying. I had already lost my shoe on the play. And so I'm walking to the sideline with my helmet in one hand, my shoe in the other thinking, what have I just got myself into? But I'll say this, you know, I guess the opposite of imposter syndrome would be having ultimate self-confidence in any situation. And ultimate self-confidence comes from preparation.
It comes from proving to yourself over and over that you belong. So instead of in that moment saying, man, I don't think I'm cut out for this league, it became, okay, I got to get back to the drawing board. What affected me in that game? What allowed me to get beat on these plays? What can I do in the future to not allow myself to – get beat in those situations?
And how many days of great practices, workouts, nutrition, sleep can I stack to ultimately become a Pro Bowl player?
Let me tell you, it's comforting to know that I'm not alone to hear from someone like you that you felt that way too. But I have to address something that you just brought up, which is surprising to me. So one of the things that I discovered in researching you is how well you did academically, specifically in college, which is not always all athlete stories, right?
So to hear that you have imposter syndrome around writing a book when you were a really strong student, that surprises me.
Yeah, for me, it's one thing to get good grades and prepare for a test, to put a book of your story out in the universe and whether your writing is going to be critiqued or this isn't on the same level. Or what if someone looks at the book sales and they're not that great compared to others? I also played with so many guys throughout my career.
that I feel would be so much better equipped to write a book and they haven't. And so for me, it's like, man, I just feel like he would be more equipped than this. But you can play that comparison game all day long. We live with a cell phone in our hands to constantly be able to play the comparison game. And so for me personally, getting over the imposter syndrome.
I've worked with an executive coach over the last few years. He's given me those nudges. You've earned this. This is your platform. But I'll be honest. There's times when I was writing the book where I would constantly defer to previous podcast guests that I've had. Hey, Jason Selk, this performance coach, he talks about stacking wins. And that creates confidence in your life.
I had an Ed Milet on the show, and he talked about this. And I would constantly defer. And as I was working on the book, people would say, Hey, we want to hear what you have to say. We don't necessarily want to hear what somebody else said on your podcast.
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Chapter 4: How can stacking small wins lead to long-term confidence?
You know, I have to change something. And really, God was trying to teach me a lot through those moments. And so luckily, the Bills had confidence in me. They rewarded me with a very nice contract that was heavily incentive based based upon playing time. Understandably so. And I agreed with them.
Well, then I go on to start 52 straight games, and then I break my other leg on Monday Night Football. And so that was 2016, and then I battled back from that one and ended up playing every single snap of the 2017 season, which would be my last season. But, you know, you learn a lot through tough times. You learn the most in tough times.
And had my career went on cruise control, to use that terminology again, had I just floated by and everything went perfectly – Maybe I make more money. Maybe I make more Pro Bowl teams. But I would not have learned nearly as much about myself and being able to push through tough times and to be able to constantly prove myself that I could get back up off the mat.
There were countless games that I was playing in, and I never felt like myself again after some of those injuries. But to go out and prove it to myself means a lot now, and I discuss a lot of that perspective in the book because – During times of challenge, it can be very difficult. And there's people that are listening that are going through unimaginable circumstances right now.
At some point in those circumstances, you have to be thinking to yourself, what can I learn through this experience? Because ultimately, I'm going to come out of this stronger. Your ultimate test will become your testimony. I wouldn't be on this podcast right now if... My career hadn't ended after the 2017 season. I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have these opportunities.
Now I may be playing on the number one team in the NFL with the Bills right now, as good as they look, but I wouldn't have these opportunities. There is something that God is showing you, the higher power, whatever you believe in, the universe is showing you something through these challenges.
And the quicker that you can gain some perspective through that, the easier it's going to be to transition into that next chapter of your life.
Did you have someone to model yourself against or like that was leading you through these hardships? Because for me listening to this, I can't believe you didn't get depressed. I can't believe you didn't become a victim. And maybe you did for a minute or two, I don't know.
But I wonder how were you able to know how to be that resilient, to reframe and see it so differently, especially because you're in physical pain too, right? Everybody listening has dealt with challenges and I've dealt with mine. But to deal with physical pain plus the actual pain of not being able to play, not knowing is my career over, not knowing what lies ahead of you, that's massively hard.
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Chapter 5: What role does preparation play in overcoming imposter syndrome?
I was looking at these people wondering what it was they were doing so right. And that you found that common thread was their faith. I think that's, that's really important for everybody listening. And for those listening who are grew up like Eric and I in the Catholic church and did not have a strong relationship with God.
It is never too late to explore how that relationship can be different today. And like you mentioned earlier too, for those who are opposed to having this idea that they don't want to have a relationship with God right now, being open to that there is something much larger, more powerful than all of us out there, whatever you want to call it.
I know, Eric, you said the universe before, whatever word you want to use, but it is never too late to take a second look at the power that is out there. I call it God, but for whoever wants to call it universe or anything else, definitely ask your questions to something and someone so much more powerful than you, and you will find answers so much more quickly. Okay.
Now I want to get to what that big moment in your life was like when you had that neck injury and found out you weren't going to be able to play in the NFL again in a weird way. And this is not fair to you. It's like the day that I got fired.
When you all of a sudden wake up from something that you think is your whole life and you feel like it's taken away and that hit mentally and for you physically, too. What was that like?
Yeah, I've heard your story as well. And it resonated perfectly with me. And so for me, before the 2017 season, the Buffalo Bills are now in the longest playoff drought in all of professional sports. And I'm the dummy that signs the contract extension before the season. I said, there's no way I can leave here. And then the Bills make the playoffs. I have to be here when we make the playoffs.
And so 2017, I mentioned earlier, I'm the only player on the team to play every single snap that season. One of the only players in the NFL because You can get taken out of a game in the NFL for a number of reasons. You get hurt. Your shoe could come off. You could be beating a team too bad. You could be losing too bad. Well, I played every single snap that year.
We make the playoffs, which was absolutely incredible. I'll never win a Superbowl as a player, but making the playoffs and ending that playoff drought in Buffalo was incredibly special. And so we lose our first round playoff game to the Jaguars and, Terrible memories down there in that stadium. But because that's the same place I broke my leg. But I come back to Buffalo.
Everyone's got to get an exit physical and then you're free to go for the offseason. I went to the exit physical. I said, look, I'm the only player that played every single snap this year. Clear me for the Pro Bowl. I'm going to go back to Louisville. My son's about to be born. We had already had a daughter at the time and my wife and daughter were back in Louisville.
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Chapter 6: How do you build a vision that keeps you motivated?
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I completely agree with you that while in certain times in your life, in certain career moments, the financial impact is definitely the focus and focal point and means so much. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I don't judge anyone for that. I've definitely had moments like that in my life.
However, when I got fired and then started over, I found my calling, my purpose to be a human on this earth more than just a parent to a child. And For me, that has changed my perspective on how I see the world, on legacy, on so many massively important things. I know for you, this transition has been that powerful for you too. What steps specifically did you take?
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Chapter 7: What is the importance of having a strong 'why' in life?
When you live, you were living in this NFL bubble. I was living in the media bubble. I only knew the business sector and contacts that I had. So stepping into that unknown is, is incredibly scary because you don't know what's ahead of you. And then you find out there is a speaking business, but why am I qualified, you know, more so than someone else? And can I compete with these other people?
And what does pricing look like? And what does availability look like? And for you getting off the field and then starting to call the plays and that's such a huge shift. What did that look like? And what did that feel like for you when you took that on?
It was definitely foreign, and so immediately I got into broadcasting and started doing sports media work because that was natural, and as an offensive lineman playing his whole career in Western New York for a team that rarely won, if I didn't get right into the media field, they probably would have forgot about me really quick, and so I still call games for the Buffalo Bills, but I've called games for Fox and CBS and ESPN and ACC Network, and I really enjoy being around football because...
I always say it's good for my soul because I wasn't ready to be done with it. So I hopped into there, which is a very foreign field. And a lot of people don't realize the amount of sacrifice that goes into that.
And I tell people all the time that are transitioning there or into business, you have to approach it just like you approach day-to-day business in the NFL, because there are so many people whose livelihoods rely on this. Think back to that practice squad guy who's fighting every day to take your job as a starter. Well,
that's what you're, you're essentially that practice while guy fighting your way in. Now you have to take that undrafted mentality each and every day. And so that being the case, I went all in on broadcasting. I started a podcast called what's next with Eric Wood, which I still release an episode weekly, which I interview individuals just like yourself, where I'm just trying to learn.
I'm trying to be a constant learner. And then when it comes to speaking, it's, Anytime I was ever asked to speak prior to leaving the NFL, it would be a Q&A. It's all interviews. And so learning how to be on the other side of the microphone and be able to ask questions has been so valuable through the podcast, through speaking gigs, because that shows tremendous fruit in the broadcasting.
It's all encompassing. I often think back to when I was in the NFL. And when you play for the Buffalo Bills, let's say, and you go to a dinner, it's just constant peppering of questions about the team and how do you like the city? And you really don't nurture your skills of being able to ask questions and carry on a conversation. And so I had to learn all those things.
And it's been a fun journey, not all sunshine and rainbows. Like I said earlier, it never is, but it's been a fun journey. And for me, finding something that gives you butterflies that you get excited about, but also you makes you a little bit nervous. Like that's what makes life fun. And yes, it's,
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Chapter 8: How can we create meaningful next chapters in our lives?
So I've completely changed my style on that. Now, I'd probably have a lot more followers if it was open when I was still playing for the Bills, but that's all right.
Live and learn. We can only connect the dots when we are looking back. Eric, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you for all the amazing work you're doing. And I will link everything that Eric just shared with you, the book, his site, his Instagram, everything's in the show notes. Eric, best of luck to you.
Yeah, thank you very much. Thanks for having me. You do an incredible job. I've loved hearing you on so many different platforms, including your own. So keep up the great work.
Thank you so much. And guys, we'll see you next week. Until then, keep creating your confidence.
excited for what you're gonna hear start learning and growing inevitably something will happen no one succeeds alone you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it i'm on this journey with me
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